Almost Human
by Lithium-6
Summary: Iceland and Norway are angels, until Norway gets a little too cocky and falls. How will Iceland deal with losing his brother?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I don't own Hetalia or Voltaire's song Almost Human, which this is named after. It's just a temperary title and if you have an idea for a title, comment and if I like it i'll use it. This is not ment to represent any religion. Also, God is kinda mean and strict in this. It's not ment to offend anybody or mean anything. It's purely for plot development. Also, when I started this, I tryed to remember names I had seen for Iceland and Norway. I know Nor is called Lukas more than Ice, but I like the names like this and I'm not changing them unless they get official names. Okay, I think that's it. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Erik= Norway<strong>

**Lukas=Iceland **

"Erik, don't!" Lukas yelled and grabbed his brother's arm trying to hold him back.

"Somebody needs to put that guy in his place!" Erik growled.

"He's _God! _He is in his place!" The younger angel tried to flap his wings in reverse, but it didn't help. His brother was too strong.

"He needs to realize that he can't just do whatever he wants."

"He can though! Please, just drop it. Don't be stupid." Lukas looked pleadingly at his brother. He really didn't want to see him get demoted. Or worse, fall.

Erik's eyes and voice softened. "I'm sorry, but I have to. I'm just going to talk to him. Ask him to change the rules. If he says no, I'll drop it. Okay?"

"Fine." Lukas said, but he was still worried. He had a bad feeling about this.

His brother hugged him before opening the large white doors and disappearing.

Lukas flapped his wings nervously. It had been hours since his brother had went to talk to God. He had been waiting outside the door, hoping to hear something that would give him a hint as to what was going on inside.

Suddenly he heard a voice in his head say, "I know you're out there Lukas. Come on in. I need to talk to you."

He recognized the voice and obeyed, opening the doors and walking in, just as his brother had done.

A quick glance around the room and he couldn't see Erik. Unfortunately, he couldn't take a good look, because his rank amongst the angels commanded him to kneel and watch the floor.

Something caught Lukas's eye. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was his brother's cross hairpin. His heart sank.

"Lukas, I know you know what Erik was planning." God spoke. "But I also know that you tried to stop him. You will not be punished. Just know that from now on, you do not have a brother."

"Yes, sir." The boy said as he grabbed Erik's hairclip.

"You may leave." The Lord knew what the young angel had done, but couldn't see too much harm in it. Some of the others, he would have stopped them, but Lukas was very loyal. One reminder of Erik couldn't hurt.

Lukas walked out without a word. His face didn't reveal any emotion. But as soon as he stepped out of the chamber, he feel to his knees and sobbed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Mathias= Denmark**

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><p>Tino was the first one to find him. "Lukas!" he yelled and ran up to the boy. "What's wrong?"<p>

Lukas wrapped his arms around his friend and cried on his shoulder. "It's…he…" The poor angel couldn't find the words.

"Who?"

"Erik."

"What about Erik? Is he okay?"

"He's fallen." Lukas choked out. Tino's eyes widened but he didn't let himself react too much. He had to be strong for his friend.

"Shh, it's going to be okay." The blonde whispered. "Let's bring you home."

"No" Lukas wiped his eyes and tried to stop crying. "I want to tell the others."

"Are you sure?" The younger boy had surely been through a lot today and it was probably best for him to go home and rest. "I can tell them, if you want."

"No. I should do it. He's…I was closer to him." Lukas looked confident. He had made up his mind.

"Okay."

Lukas stood up and started to walk before he realized he had no idea where he was going. "Where are the others?"

"Berwald's at home and I think Mathias's down on Earth. But he'll probably be coming back soon."

"Let's go tell Berwald."

They found him in his office at his desk. He looked up from whatever he had been doing when they entered. Mostly by Tino's expression, he could tell they were bringing bad news.

"Berwald…um…" Tino didn't really know how to tell the older man. He had been even closer to Erik than Tino. Maybe not as close as Lukas or Mathias, but still close.

"Erik fell." Lukas said bluntly. He didn't react except a slight look of pain in his eyes, but it quickly faded, leaving them cold and distant.

Berwald just stared at him for a moment. Then his wings slowly started to droop. He turned back to his desk and to his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. Then he held his head in his eyes for a few minutes.

The others watched silently. Tino's wings flapped nervously and he chewed on his lip, feeling very awkward. Lukas didn't move at all.

They stayed like that until the door burst open and Mathias walked through. "Hey! I've been looking everywhere for you guys." He looked around then added. "What's with all the long faces? And where's Erik?"

Nobody said anything, but the looks on their faces told him everything. He started to feel light headed and had to grab onto the desk to keep from falling. Berwald stood up and gave the other man his chair. He sat and just stared at the wall for a long time. Then suddenly he slammed his fist against the desk, causing everyone to jump. "I told him to forget about it! It wasn't that big of a deal! But he was just too hard headed! Why wouldn't he just give it up? How could he so stupid?"

Lukas didn't feel like listening to Mathias deal with his emotions anymore, so he left. He wasn't sure if anyone noticed, but no one stopped him.

As he was walking through town, an alarm went off in his head. He was being calling for duty. He ran to the edge of the clouds, pulled in his wings and jumped.

Most of the other angels thought Lukas was stupid for not spreading his wings right away to glide down, but he like the feeling of free fall. The rush of adrenaline always made him feel stronger and gave him more confidence for whatever he was about to do.

Once he was close enough that he could see the ground clearly, he opened his wings and let himself slow down. Then he raced off in the direction that he knew he had to go. As an angle, when Lukas had an assignment, the exact location was in his head and in his heart.

He found himself in a hospital room. On the bed was a woman who looked about 35. She was unconscious and there were three people around her. Two young children, a boy and a girl, were sobbing. The younger- the girl- was sitting on a teenage girl's lap. She looked like she was holding back tears.

Lukas didn't know what exactly was wrong with the woman (if he wanted he could use his magic to find out, but he didn't need that information to heal her) but he knew he had come just in time.

He walked up to the woman and put his hand on top of hers. He was glad she was unconscious, because she was close enough to death to see him and that would only worry her family.

He closed his eyes and focused. He called on his magic to search out what was wrong. Once it had latched on, he let go of her hand. The young angel looked down at the woman and smiled when he saw a bit of color return to her face already. Or maybe it was just it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. Either was, she would be all better soon enough. Lukas was happy he could help.

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><p><strong>Okay, so this chapter was mostly to introduce Iceland's job. I didn't get a chance to say this in the chapter, but there are going to be different jobs for different angels. Iceland's a Miracle Worker. I'll prob say the other Nordic's jobs in one of the next couple chapters. And I still don't own Hetalia or Voltaire's Almost Human (which reminds me, I'm still open to any new names)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Li= Hong Kong**

Once Lukas got back to heaven, he went straight home. He didn't want to deal with the other angels who had probably hear about Erik by now (news always traveled fast when someone fell.) He reached into his cupboard and grabbed a bag of licorice. That was one of his favorite things about Heaven- if you wanted something it was already in your kitchen.

He had just sat down and begun to eat when his doorbell rang. He rolled his eyes and sighed as he got up to answer the door.

When he opened it, he saw his friends Li.

"May I come in?" The Asian boy asked. Lukas nodded and stepped aside.

They sat in the silver haired boy's living room, just looking at each other. Finally, Li spoke, "I heard about Erik."

"And?"

"And I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be? Erik fell, not me." Lukas said uncaringly.

"But he's your brother."

"No, he's not."

Li didn't bother to argue. He knew his friend wouldn't listen to anything he said. He was in some form of denial and it was probably best to leave him alone.

"Okay, I'm sorry." The Asian said vaguely. "I'll be going now. If you need anything, I'd be happy to help."

Lukas felt kind of guilty after Li left. He could have probably handled that better. Sighing, he put his head in his hands. He suddenly realized how tired he was. A nap would really do him well.

He wandered into his room and laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. After a minute, he shifted to his side, finding that more comfortable. He slid his hand under his pillow and was surprised when he felt something hard. He sat up, moved his pillow, and saw Erik's hairpin. He realized he must have subconsciously teleported it back here when he went to Earth. Not really knowing what else to do, he left it where it was and put back the pillow, returning to his previous position. He then closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep.

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><p>He was in a bright room. There wasn't much around- there wasn't anything really- but it was warm and comfy. He happily sat down and pulled his knees to his chest.<p>

He didn't know how long he had been sitting when he hear a gentle voice call his name. Lukas jumped and looked around. Nothing looked different.

"Lukas, I'm over here." The voice sounded like it was in front of him. He stared for a minute, then saw that there was one small circle that was a little darker than the rest. Curious, he started crawling towards it. As he got closer, the spot grew and darkened.

"Yes, come on Lukas. It's not that much farther." The voice, he was starting to realize, sounded familiar. It only fueled his curiosity and he crawled faster.

Suddenly, he hear Mathias's voice far behind him. He turned to the side and saw the older angel, along with Tino and Berwald, flying at him. But they were still a far way back. He could figure out who was calling him before they reached him.

When he looked back, the spot had grown so much it had taken up the other side of the room. Now he was between darkness and brightness, on a thin gray line. He felt trapped and very small since everything around him seemed to go on forever.

Lukas, now scared, curled up into a ball again, this time squeezing his legs close and putting his face down. He felt so childish, but he didn't know what to do. He wanted to know who was calling him and why their voice sounded so familiar, but the darkness scared him. Not only that, but the room had gotten colder and now he was shivering.

Finally, his friends arrived on the light side. They were calling for him, he knew that, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. He looked up and saw them reaching for him, but the gray line seemed to create some sort of barrier and they couldn't touch him.

Then he heard the voice again, coming from the other side. He looked that way and saw Erik standing there. He jumped a little, but realized he was the voice. Lukas couldn't believe he hadn't figured that out sooner.

"Lukas." Erik whispered and crouched down next to his brother. "I've missed you."

"It's only been a day." The boy muttered and looked away.

"I know, but we're so far apart now, it feels like forever. I wish I could rejoin you in Heaven, but God won't let me. I've even tried repenting, but he won't listen. I have an idea of how we can be together though."

After a minute, Lukas asked, "How?"

"You can join me. You don't even have to do anything wrong. Just grab my hand. The barrier keeping us from you doesn't affect you. Please, come with me."

Lukas looked back at the light side. His friends were still screaming at him. Tino was crying and Mathias was making crossing motions over his neck, and obvious sign of "don't do it". He really wanted to listen to them, but he had been missing his brother.

"Please." Erik was starting to sound desperate. "They'll still have each other, even if you leave. I'm alone. I don't have anyone. Please, Lukas."

The silver haired boy looked at his brother then back at his friends. Without looking, he grabbed the blonde's hand. He was pulled over into the darkness. Erik pulled him close and Lukas could practically feel the smirk on the older brothers face as he said, "Sorry, guys. I got him, he's coming to Hell with me."

As they started to fall into nothing, Lukas realized he had been tricked.

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><p>Lukas's eyes shot open as he jerked awake. Before he had a chance to think, he grabbed the hairpin from under his pillow and threw it against the wall. Breathing hard from anger and panic, he stared at where it had fallen. He probably would have stayed that way for longer if it hadn't been for his doorbell, accompanied by urgent knocking.<p>

Slowly, he got up and grabbed the cross pin. He put it back under his pillow before going to answer the door. On his way he tried to fix his hair and clothes a bit, trying to look more presentable.

Tino and Berwald were at the door. The shorter blonde looked like he was panicking. The taller had no expression, as usual. Wait, maybe there was a bit of a worried look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Lukas asked.

"Mathias is missing."

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><p><strong>I love writing dreams.<strong>

**Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm sorry I didn't reply to everyone, I'm just not good at replying to stuff, especially nice stuff. But all the reviews really made me happy so thank you. Also, I finaly have some chapters planned (up to chapter 7!) so hopefuly they'll start coming out faster. Unfortunetly, I might be kinda busy coming up, but it shouldn't be too bad. And I'm going to upload some of the oneshots I have on DA to here, so if you're intersted check them out (it might be a couple of days though). Lets see, other things I wanted to mention. Oh yeah! I introduced Hong Kong mostly because I needed someone to fill space. There might not be much of him 'cause I don't know his character all that well. Also, I promise, you'll find out the other Nordics jobs in the next chapter. I swear. I already have it planed.**

**Okay, well I think that's it. Have a nice day!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long (or it might not have been that long at all but it felt like forever.) I've been really busy lately. Today was my first day of school (on a side note, one of my teachers names is Matthew Williams. My canada-fangirl friend was really excited about that.), and before that I had my birthday, the Great Minnesota Get-Together (that was so much fun, but it seemed like everywhere I went, someone was smoking! Don't they know it's illegal to smoke on public grounds?), open house, and all of my friends birthdays (it seemed like all of us had a b-day over the last couple weeks.) so, yeah, I've been having a lot of fun, but I was trying really hard to get this done too. It didn't help that it seemed to not want to be written! so yeah. I'm sorry if this chapter sounds really weird or is boring or anything. I promise the next will be better (I'm so excited for the next chapter!) And speaking of the next chapter, it might be slightly gorey. And somewhere along the line of the story theres probaly going to be some dark themes, so the rating will probaly end up going up a bit. You have been warned.**

**I still don't own anything.**

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><p>"Wh-What do you mean?" Lukas stuttered.<p>

"Well, after you left, he stormed out and nobody's seen him since." Tino explained.

The youngest boy thought for a minute, then sighed. "I think I know where he is."

Lukas pushed past them and started walking somewhere. The others followed him.

"Where is he?" Tino said excitedly.

"Nowhere." He stopped and turned around. "Why don't you guys go home and relax? I promise I'll be back by evening gathering."

"Well, okay…" Tino didn't sound sure. "Just be careful."

"I will." Lukas started off again.

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><p>Mathias, he was sure, was on Earth. As a Guardian Angel, he felt better there because he's closer to his pledge. Most of the Guardians didn't even realize how much time they spent on Earth.<p>

Now the problem was just to figure out where exactly he was. Knowing him, he was probably at a bar. There wasn't really a rule against the angels drinking, it was just very much frowned upon.

Lukas decided that Mathias's pledge's hometown was as good of as any to start looking. For once, the silver haired angel was grateful for his friend's constant talking. Because of if, he knew exactly where the town was.

He walked into the first bar he saw. It was evening, so it was just starting to get busy. Lukas had to maneuver around everyone to avoid getting walked into. These people still had enough life left to not be able to see or hear him, but they could still feel him.

He found it all for none, as the man he was looking for wasn't there. He quickly left and moved on to the next bar.

There he spotted Mathias almost instantly. Happy with his luck, he quickly dropped his cloaking magic and aloud himself to be seen. He pulled his wings in tight, even though he knew they were still hidden.

"Mathias!" He cried as he got close. The man looked at him but his eyes were glazed over. He had a huge smile on his face, but his eyes were red from crying. He was swaying back and forth a bit, and it only got worse when he tried to stand.

Lukas grabbed his friends when he almost feel. He struggled to stay standing under the weight.

"He a friend of yours?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah." The boy said as he tried to get the man to stand on his own.

"Good. Take him outta here, would ya?" He said then went to help someone else.

Lukas dragged his blonde friend out of the bar. They didn't walk far before finding a corner with no one around.

The younger stopped and crossed his arms. When Mathias just kept walking, he grabbed his arm and forced him against a wall. He crossed his arms again and just stared for a while before asking, "Why?"

"What are you talking about?" Mathias asked. He was obviously not paying attention because he was staring at the sky, his eyes following a cloud.

"I can't talk to you like this." Lukas muttered. Rolling his eyes, he started to use his powers to sober his friend up. He probably shouldn't have- like drinking, using your magic to help other angels who had drunk get sober was not really a good thing.

Once he was sober again, Mathias dropped to the ground and curled up into a ball. From the was he was breathing, Lukas could tell that he was crying. "Why'd you do that?"

"What?"

"I don't want to think about him, and this was the only way I could get him out of my head. He was my best friend you know. I don't know what I'm gonna do without him."

Lukas didn't know what to do. He was prepared to yell at his friend, not comfort him. He wasn't good at making people feel better.

Slowly he sat down next to the blonde. "I know its hard." He ventured to say. "But drinking isn't the way to deal with it. Why didn't you come and talk to one of us?"

"I don't know. I thought…I don't know what I thought."

"Next time, talk to someone. We're going through this, same as you."

"I know." It looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't know how.

Lukas didn't know what to say either. So instead he wrapped his arms around Mathias. After a minute, the older man turned and hugged him back.

When they broke apart, the younger said, "We should probably get back. I told Berwald and Tino we wouldn't miss the evening gathering."

"Yeah, C'mon."

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><p>Once a month, all the angels got together for the evening gathering. The only reason that anyone was aloud to miss would be an emergency on Earth.<p>

Lukas and Mathias had just enough time to fond Berwald and Tino before they had to split up (At gatherings they were suppose to sit with those who had the same job.)

When Tino saw them he gave each of them a hug and said, "I'm so glad you're okay. I was worried."

They didn't have anytime to say anything more. Quickly, Lukas went to join the other Miracle Workers, while Mathias went to the Guardians, Tino to the Consciences, and Berwald to the Prayer Answerers.

Lukas sat down next to Li on the wooden bleachers. They were in the first row and there were nine rows behind them. They were arranged in a circle and in the middle was an area for the lead angels to speak and address them.

The four lead angels walked in single file, the two men first, then the two women. Nobody knew their names, so they were often called the Ancients because they were older than everybody else.

The one in the lead had short brown hair with dark eyes and was in need of a shave. The next had long blonde hair and fierce blue eyes. The lead woman had wavy brown hair in a pony tail with green eyes. The one at the end of the line was a woman with short black hair.

"Glad to see you all again!" the brown haired man stated. "How was your day? I hope it was good. You know-"

"We don't have time for small talk." The blonde said. "We only have until the sun sets."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right."

"The news tonight it worrisome." The brown haired woman explained. "There have been more reports of injuries and fatalities as a result of attacks by the dark side. We need to figure out if they're getting stronger, or just more confident."

All eyes turned to the consciences because they came into contact with agents of darkness almost every time they went to a job. They had less injury, however, since most of it was just trying to convince the human to make one choice or another.

Tino stood up and spoke for his group. "They've always been confident to the point of arrogance. But I don't think they're getting stronger. It's probably just a bluff."

"If so, it's a dangerous one." The black haired woman said. "That's why we're warning all angels to keep on look out."

With that the Ancients left. Lukas was kind of surprised. Usually they talked until the very last minute. They probably didn't want to lessen the impact of what they did talk about.

Either way, Lukas stood up and waved to Li, then followed the crowed into a cafeteria-like room. After Gatherings, they would break up into their groups of friends and eat a feast of sorts. It was technically meant to bring them together, but everyone just sat with who they normal talked to, so it didn't really work.

Lukas quickly found his friends and congratulated Tino on speaking for the Consciences before sitting down.

Not much was said at supper. Mathias, who usually did most of the talking, was still looking depressed and no one else knew what to say.

Finally Tino broke the silence, "So, where were you guys?"

Lukas mentally cringed and let the spiky-haired blonde answer.

"Earth." he muttered. Luckily, Tino didn't press the matter

By the time the meal was over and Lukas got to go home and go to bed, he was glad the day was finally over.


	5. Chapter 5

**This was really fun to write. Enjoy.**

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><p>A month later and things were pretty much back to normal. Mathias was his cheery self again. Lukas had almost completely put Erik out of his mind and everyone was acting like nothing ever happened.<p>

His job was also keeping him busy. It seemed he was always heading down to Earth to help someone. He felt bad because it meant more people were getting in trouble, but at least it also meant they were being helped.

That's why he wasn't too surprised when he was called once again. He hurried off the cloud edge and down to Earth.

He found that his current job was a car accident. He cringed a bit- car accidents were some of the most bloody things he was faced with. As he flew closer, he used his magic to see exactly what had happened.

The first thing he saw was a teenage girl with long black hair. For a moment he thought she looked familiar. Then it hit him- she was the girl whose mother he had cured.

She was driving very well, especially for a teenager, but then she took her eyes off the road for one second to adjust the radio. That proved to be a tragic mistake when another car crossed into her lane going at least twice the speed limit.

That was all Lukas needed to see. The poor girl had been hit by a drunk driver. He growled to himself. He hated drunk drivers.

But that wasn't apart of his job right now. His job was to save the victim. As he landed, he looked between the cars and recognized the victim's car. It was nearly destroyed and upside-down.

He found the back windshield broken and climbed in. He quickly made his way to the front. There he saw her and how bad it was.

The flesh on her face and arms was cut and ripped from shards of glass that flew at her when the front window had broke (something Lukas wished he would have noticed earlier instead of having to navigate his way through the car.) letting the blood flow into her hair and clump it together. Her nose seemed to be broken but because of her inverted position no blood was flowing out. Her eyes were open, but seemed to be dazed and distant. She was taking shallow breaths, probably both from the shock of what just happened and broken ribs.

Lukas held his arms out in a way so he would be sure to catch the girl and then unbuckled her seat belt. she fell into his arms and he flipped her over so she would be more comfortable and easier to carry. He was glad being an angel gave him extra strength because as a human he had been rather weak.

He started to kick out some of the glass still in its place on the car to make it easier to crawl out when he felt something warm run onto his forearm. He looked down and saw that she was bleeding from the back of her head too. She must have been hit by something flying forward from the back.

Giving up on his previous task he allowed his legs to get scratched up a bit as he crawled out. He stopped by the side of the road and laid her down in the grass.

He started by healing the wound on the back of her head, fearing that one might be fatal if not treated in time. Then he started healing those that had been caused by the glass. Unfortunately, he had to work on each one individually, so it was going to take a while.

He jumped when he heard her groan. Lukas looked into her eyes and saw fear and confusion along with pain.

Before she could say anything, he explained, "My name is Lukas. I'm an angel. I'm here to help you."

Before he could get back to his job, he caught a glimpse of something dark out of the corner of his eye. Having a pretty good idea of what it was, his mood fell into anger and his fists clenched,

After a moments thought, he healed a particularly nasty cut along her cheek then asked, "Will you be okay if I leave? There's something else I really have to take care of."

"I think so." It looked like it hurt for her to speak. He felt guilty about leaving her, but if he didn't they might be attacked.

"Okay, good. Don't forget to call for an ambulance, okay?"

"'kay." He started to get up but stopped when she said, "Lukas? Thank you."

He didn't really know what to say so he just nodded then ran towards where he had seen the dark flash.

"Hey!" he called as he approached. "Show yourself!" Nothing happened. "I know you're there, you damned demon! Come out and face me!"

The creature started walking out from behind the drunk driver's car where it was hiding with its hands up in surrender. When Lukas saw its face, his breath caught in his throat and he stumbled back a bit.

It was Erik.

Everything about him seemed darker. His wings had gone from pure white to a deep black. His eye- which never used to show emotion- were filled with pain and anger. He was now clad in black and his arms were shaking just a bit.

A slight smile appeared on his face and he said, "What's wrong, little brother? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You're not my brother." Was all Lukas could think of saying.

"I may have Fallen, but we are still brothers." Lukas scoffed and looked away. "Fine, don't believe me. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I Fell, but I truly believed in what I said. Even now, I know I'm right. My only regret is not being able to see you. I miss you, Lukas."

"I'm not listening to this." Lukas growled then took off into the air.

Unfortunately for him, Erik did the same a second later. Even though Lukas had a head start, Erik had always been the faster flyer, so he caught up fast.

Erik grabbed Lukas's wrist, but the white haired boy pulled it away and yelled, "Don't touch me!"

"I just want to talk to you." Erik said calmly but his eyes showed desperation.

"Too bad, go away, you bastard!" He screamed in response and flew to Heaven before the demon could catch him.


	6. Chapter 6

**This part is from Erik's point of veiw. It starts where the story starts and goes through the first day. Also, this and the next chapeter were supposed to be one, but since this is already the longest one so far (and it had a good ending point), I decided to split them in two.**

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><p>"Erik, don't!" The angel felt his brother grab onto his arm and try to hold him back.<p>

"Somebody needs to put that guy in his place!" Erik growled. As much as he hated the thought of what he was about to do, it had it to be done and end he had made up his mind that he was going to be the one to do.

"He's _God! _He is in his place!" Lukas argued and Erik could feel him flapping his wings to try and get more force against his movement. It didn't even slow the older brother down.

"He needs to realize that he can't just do whatever he wants."

"He can though! Please, just drop it. Don't be stupid." Lukas pleaded. Erik felt horrible, but he was doing this for him.

"I'm sorry, but I have to." He said gently. "I'm not just going to talk to him. Ask him to change the rules. If he says no, I'll drop it. Okay?"

"Fine." Lukas said, but Erik could tell that he was still worried.

Erik leaned forward and hugged his little brother before he opened the large doors and walked in.

"Erik? I wasn't expecting you." God said. He looked disapproving when Erik neither kneeled nor averted his eyes, instead standing tall and staring directly at him.

"I know. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Well, go ahead."

"I think you need to communicate with Satan and his minions. Not because they deserve it, but because we're getting hurt in conflicts, even killed. If we just talk to them, we'd be so much safer."

"No," He responded instantly. "I will never talk to that traitor."

"You're not even going to think about it?" Erik demanded in shock. "Not even for the sake of your angels?"

"I am never going to talk to him, and that's final. Now leave before I am forced to take drastic action."

Erik was about to do as he was told, when he remembered why he had finally made the choice to speak to God now, even though he had been thinking about this for a long time. Only a couple of days ago, Lukas had been attacked on the job. He was scratched up a bit, but nothing too bad and he healed within a day, but Erik knew he had gotten lucky and it could have easily been much worse.

With the memory in mind, he took out his hair pin and left it on the ground for his brother to remember him by. Then he looked up again and said, "I'm not going to leave. I know I'm right. And I have done nothing wrong, only suggested an idea that would help keep my friends and family safe. But you in all your eternal "righteousness" won't even consider it because of a stupid feud that happened centuries ago. If you hate him so much, why didn't you just kill him? Why don't you now? Is it that you don't have the will or the power?"

Anger flared in God's eyes. "You are way out of line. You have given me no choice but to Fall you."

Erik wounded briefly what it was going to be like to Fall. Then he got his answer. In the blink of an eye, he went from inside the room to outside falling towards earth. He tried to use his wings to slow down, but they wouldn't work. Despite his best efforts, he screamed. As his speed increased, his wings became to hurt. He looked back and saw that they were on fire. He closed his eyes as tears started to flow out of them but then opened them for the thought of not knowing when he was going to hit was more terrifying than anything else. He saw the ground growing nearer and in instinct put his hands in front of his face even though he knew it wasn't going to do anything.

But when the time came that he should have hit at a deadly speed, he just passed through and continued to fall. He felt the air around him warming up to an uncomfortable temperature and just wished for this to be over. He didn't care what happened to him when he finally landed, anything was better than the powerless felling this fall was giving him.

He had nearly lost his voice from screaming when he finally landed. For a minute he was grateful and took the chance to calm his heart. Then, as the adrenaline faded away, he realized he was in a pool of lava. He panicked and started screaming again, along with waving his arms, hoping someone would see him and help him.

He felt something grab his arm and stopped moving. Someone lifted him out of the lava just enough to get a better hold on him, then carried him to land. Erik collapsed and tried to catch his breath and slow his pulse. His savior just stood by him and waited. When it looked like the new Fallen was well enough to talk, he said, "You know that lava can't hurt you much. Its mostly for show."

"Why?" Erik growled.

"Well, you know, this _is_ Hell." Then he laughed lightheartedly. "I am just kidding. We have been trying to remove that forever, but the man upstairs has just enough power to keep it there. It's such a shame. It really is quite a tacky way to greet people."

The newly Fallen angel stood up and brushed himself off. Deciding that whoever this man was, he deserved a bit of kindness for helping him, even if he wasn't in any real danger, he extended his hand and said, "I am Erik. And you are?"

"My name is Francis." The man said and shook his hand. "I was the first one to find you, so I guess I will show you around. We'll start by finding you a mirror so you can fix your hair."

As Francis started leading the way, Erik realized that because he had his hair pined up for so long, his bangs were now choppy and unequal. He sighed, adding that to the list of his current problems.

He also was having a difficult time figuring out where they were going. The landscape seemed to change on him. One minute it was flat and dark for as far as the eye could see, the next he was surrounded by flames. And it was so hot! He felt like he was going to vomit and then pass out.

"So, how did you Fall?" Francis asked.

After debating whether to tell him or not, Erik figured it couldn't hurt. "I proposed an idea to God that would help people, but he wouldn't listen. When I kept arguing, he sent me down here." Quieter, he said, "Now I'm just some demon."

Francis spun around to look into his eyes so fast he almost ran into him. For a moment he looked angry, then his eyes softened and his smile returned. "I forget that in Heaven they don't know the difference. You see, there is a great difference between demons, Fallen angels, and other creatures.

"Demons were born demons. They have never been anything different. After the First Rebellion, they allied themselves with our leader, Satan. But if they wanted to, they could still leave to work on their own.

"Then there is us, the Fallen angels. Most of us were angels who did something God didn't like. So he sent us down here as "punishment." Those up there do believe that this is a terrible fate. But really down here we get free will, good food, and a much more relaxed environment. The heat is a bit uncomfortable when you first get here, but then you can just go somewhere to cool down."

The Frenchman laughed. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. I meant to be talking about the different creatures you'll meet down here in Hell. There are two more important groups you'll want to know about; the various "mythical" creatures and the human souls.

"Mythical creatures have lost a lot of belief in them on Earth since Christianity has taken over, so now they spend most of their time down here. They are neutral and will work for us or God's minions for the right price, but most of those stuck up fools above refuse to even acknowledge their existence, so we tend to work with them more.

"Then there are the human souls that God didn't want. They pretty much get to do whatever they like, unless they're being punished. And we only punish some of them. It depends on their crime. You'll understand everything about that once you're down here long enough."

Erik felt his head swirling with all the new information as Francis started leading the way again.

After they walked for what felt like forever to Erik, the other finally announced, "Here we are!"

"There's nothing here." Erik growled.

"Just wait."

Half a minute later a line of fire as far as Erik could see in both directions began to blaze next to them. When Erik jumped back, Francis laughed. Damn, that laugh was already getting annoying.

Slowly the fire tamed until it was about a foot tall. Then he could see that it was about ten or fifteen feet across. Francis sat down next to the blaze.

"Why don't you join me?" the man asked. "This may take a minute."

Erik did as he was told. He watched the flames as he waited for whatever was going to happen. When he watched closely, he noticed something strange happening. The fire seemed to be flowing like a river.

"You're not imagining that." Francis spoke up as if he had read Erik's thoughts, much to the annoyance of the smaller boy who normally hid his emotions. If someone he'd just met could tell what he was thinking, he must be really shaken up. The Frenchman continued, "This is the river of fire. We have all sorts of strange landmarks around here. The longer you're here, the more you find."

"Okay." The other seemed slightly disappointed in Erik's answer.

"Hey, Francis," a creature called as he approached. It was about nine feet tall and very buff. It didn't wear a shirt and its skin was nearly yellow. As it came closer, Erik saw that it only had one eye.

"Cyclops." Francis whispered. Erik wanted to say that he knew, but held back. The Frenchman then called to the creature. "Terain, _mon ami, _I need a favor!"

"I realize that." Terain grunted. "But why should I help you?"

"I will cook you a delicious meal." The Fallen angel offered.

"You know I don't like your food. Too over done."

"Damn Cyclops. If you didn't like everything raw…" He muttered under his breath. "How about I bring you some delectable fruits? The devil knows you could use some vitamins in your diet."

"Bring me a goat." The monster stated.

"Fine, don't have any variety in your food. Don't blame me if you die of malnutrition."

"It takes more than that to kill me. Now what do you want?"

"We just need a ride back to the city."

"Both of you? That's two goats."

"Fine, fine, whatever."

Terain nodded then a rickshaw appeared next to him. Francis and Erik climbed in and the Cyclops grabbed the handles and started pulling them. He made it look surprisingly easy and was even able to run.

As they were riding, something occurred to Erik. "Why didn't we just fly?"

"Well, that's another thing about Hell." Francis explained. "If you try to fly a long way, you'll eventually get lost. It's one of God's dirty tricks. He made it a labyrinth of sorts to fly around down here. Besides, it's going to be a day or two before you can fly again."

"Oh."

Their path followed the river of fire for a while, before finally breaking away. That was when Erik lost all sense of direction. They could have been going in circles as far as he could tell.

Then he started to notice a small dot off in the distance in front of them that slowly started to grow into a large town. It was far from modern, as if it had been torn out of the sixteenth century. The sore thumb was a black stone tower stories above the rest of the city. It was hauntingly beautiful and somehow managed to appear both ancient and modern.

Terain stopped outside the tower and waited for the two Fallen angels to get out. Then he grabbed Francis's shirt and pulled him close.

"Two goats. By Monday. " He growled.

"But Monday is so soon. How about-"

"Monday." Terain had a deadly look in his eyes.

"Okay. Monday." The Cyclops dropped him and left with his rickshaw. Francis muttered, "It's not like you know what day it is anyway."

"Is everyone treated like that down here?" Erik asked.

"No, I just have a reputation for getting…distracted when I go topside."

The other didn't think he wanted to know exactly what that meant.

They walked into the building and found themselves in a lobby. Francis, with Erik in tow, walked up to the front desk.

"_Bonjour._" He said. The man slowly and regretfully looked up from his book.

"How may I help you?" He said uncaringly.

"This is Erik." The taller blonde explained. "He's new and he needs a place to stay."

The man behind the desk rolled his eyes and marked his page in his book. Then he spun around in his chair. He grabbed a set of keys off the wall and tossed them over his head to Francis. He turned back around and asked, "Happy?"

"_Oui_."

The Frenchman walked to the stairs in the corner of the room. Erik reluctantly followed him, realizing that he was going to have to walk up to whichever floor he was staying on.

"Don't worry." Francis said, once again sensing his mood. "Its not as far as it seems. And once your wings work you can just fly up there"

After about five minutes (Erik had no idea how many floors as it was a circular staircase and doors to the outside were too frequent to count.) The taller of the two entered one of the doors.

"Is this my floor?" Erik asked.

"_Non._ It's mine. I just need to grab something for you."

The newly Fallen angel had no idea what that meant and was a bit worried. He pushed it aside, knowing the other was his only chance down here.

Francis found his room and invited Erik in.

"Would you like something to eat?" The blonde offered. "I'm, one of the few people around here who actually makes their own food. Most just go down to the buffet." He sounded a bit disgusted by that fact.

"No, thank you." Erik said standing near the doorway, slightly mesmerized by Francis's house. He had never expected anything in Hell to be this…beautiful.

Everything was expertly placed together. Nothing seemed out of place or wrong at all. The floor was a beautiful dark wood and the furniture was tan. The walls ere painted dark blue but various paintings brightened up the room a lot, along with an excellent use of lighting.

Erik desired briefly to see the rest of the home, but shook the thought away.

"Ah, here it is!" Francis exclaimed and brought a dusty old book to the other blonde. "This should explain everything you need to know about Hell and being a Fallen angel. I remember it helped me so much when I first Fell. But there are very few copies in existence, so please be careful with it."

Erik nodded and muttered a thank you. He took the book and decided he would read it when he got to his living quarters.

They quickly walked back to the stair case and up a few more floors (much less than last time) until they left it again, this time to find Erik's new home.

Francis had no problem finding the door. The new member of Hell felt slightly disappointed to see that it was mostly empty, with black walls and a black stone floor.

"There should be a bed, a night stand, and a dresser." Francis informed him. "You may decorate it how ever you like, but you have to get everything on your own."

"Okay."

"Well, I'll just leave you then." Francis seemed worried, but left him anyway.

Not knowing what else to do, Erik found the bedroom, sat down and just thought.

He had lost so mush- his had lost _everything- _in just the course of a few hours. He wouldn't be able to talk to his friends, and worse his brother. They were enemies now.

But he and Lukas had always been so close. Everything Erik could ever remember doing, he had done for his little brother.

And now, he was supposed to fight Lukas. Maybe even hurt him.

Just the thought of hurting him made his stomach twist in knots and tears sting his eyes. For once, he let them flow instead of keeping them in.


	7. Chapter 7

***Jawdrop* When did this chapter get so long? It's like ten pages on word! Wow.**

**Anyway, I told myself to finish this on Friday, but that didn't work out, so then I said yesterday/Saturday, but I was making lefse with my friends for most of the day (which was really fun) and then about half of them decided to be freeloaders and stay the night. lol. But I got it done! I'm so happy about that.**

**Two things: One, my friend Leaf (OOOOOOOOOOOOOm on here) typed most of this and I can't thank her enough. That also means all typos are her fault (jk). And two, I resently got Paradise Lost: the Novel (I would have gotten the origenal, but 17th century poetry is confusing.) and it's about Lucifer falling from heaven and becoming Satan so I might be referencing that at some point, but you shouldn't need to read it to understand. (It's really a good book though, so I would recomend it.)**

* * *

><p>Erik hadn't even remembered falling asleep when he woke up. For a moment he had forgotten all of the previous day, but then the memories came flowing back, making his heart ach once again.<p>

But he had a strange dream through the night and, even though he could barely remember it, it made him realize that there was still a chance his brother would talk to him. If Erik could catch him while he was on duty, he could apologize for leaving him and they could talk and Lukas wouldn't be punished because it would just any other time an angel met a Fallen angel!

With that plan in mind, he grabbed the book Francis had given him off the bedside table (when had he put it there?" and walked out into his living room. Remembering that he had no furniture, he was on the floor and consulted the book for help.

He started with the first chapter, which said it was bout the stages of being a Fallen angel.

_"There are two main stages of being a Fallen angel. The first lasts up to a week after you Fall. During this time you will not be able to fly, your wings may ache, and the temperatures in Hell will be nearly unbearable. You may also experience sickness, such as stomach aches, headaches, fevers, tremors, and chills. This is a result of the parts of your body that still obey God trying to fight off the "evil" inside you. Don't worry, it'll pass soon._

_"During the next stage you will begin to feel cold inside. This is due to losing the warmth that comes with God's love. It will make the heat more bearable, but not much. You will become cold on the inside and warm on the outside until you adjust to the temperatures."_

The rest of the chapter went on to explain in more detail the different problems that could occur. Figuring that if he was going to feel like shit for the next week anyway, it didn't really matter exactly how or why, Erik skipped it.

He paged to a chapter about the creatures of Hell, trying to find one that would help him find his brother when he went to Earth. It seemed that most would be helpful just not exactly what he wanted.

He needed something that worked alone so he wouldn't have to pay more than one. But they also needed to have large numbers all over Earth. Who knew where Lukas could be sent? They needed to be fast so the information could get to him before his brother was done with his job. It needed to be a group that he could tell a couple and they would spread the information to others because there was no way he would be able to get the word our to everybody he would need. Finally, they had to be willing to work with him. It seemed that some of these creatures weren't as friendly as others.

Eventually, one caught his eye. Harpies. The book said they usually worked alone or in a small groups. They didn't have particularly large numbers, but they lived all over the world and were very goal oriented. And as for speed, they could fly in from another room and steal food from a man before it got from his plate to his mouth.

The more Erik read, the more it seemed these creatures would work. He decided he would try to talk to them later. He was suddenly feeling very sick and besides he couldn't even fly right now.

Putting the book aside, the Fallen angel curled into a ball on the floor. His stomach felt like it was going to explode. He wanted to throw up, but couldn't. His entire body was shaking and he felt so weak. His head was pounding and it hurt so much he had to close his eyes tight.

He willed the pain to go away. How had it come on so fast, so strong anyway? It didn't seem possible to go from feeling fine one minute to feeling worse than he had ever felt the next.

He hoped to God, the devil, or whoever he was supposed to hope to that this would pass soon, or that he could at least pass out.

He got his wish.

* * *

><p>"Erik! Erik please answer the door! I don't have a key." The boy heard Francis's voice and knocking.<p>

He groaned and sat up. At least he was feeling better aside from a lingering headache.

"What do you want Francis?" Erik asked when he opened the door. The taller man was smiling at him and holding two bags.

"I bought you some clothes." The Frenchman said as he made his way inside.

"Why?" Erik asked suspiciously.

"Well, you can't go around in those." Francis laughed. The other's clothes were ripped and torn from his Fall. Besides, those were the clothes of God's servants and would only cause him problems down here. "And anyway, I told you I was going to help you."

Erik wanted to ask why Francis was being so kind, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Why don't you get changed and then I'll show you around town?"

Erik took the bags, went into the bedroom, and did as he was told. Looking in one of the bags, he was disappointed but not surprised to see that they were entirely black. After he had them on, he was impressed to see that they fit him perfectly. How had Francis guessed his sizes so well?

When he walked out, Francis looked at him and said "That's better. Now, come on! We have a lot to get to and we've already missed half the day."

The taller blonde practically skipped out of the room. Erik followed with less enthusiasm.

"Why are you so excited about this?" The Newly Fallen angel asked as they were walking down the steps.

"Well, I have always wanted to help someone adjust." He explained. "When I Fell, a very long time ago, there was one person who helped me out more than anything. They have since died and I wish to honor their memory by helping another."

Erik stayed silent, almost regretting bringing it up. But Francis didn't seem bothered and continued walking happily.

The first thing shown to Erik was the buffet. It wasn't too far away from the tower and seemed welcoming to the boy. As quick as he could, he grabbed a plate and started filling it with food. Until the delectable scents had reached him, he hadn't realized how hungry he was. Even if he didn't _need_ to eat, he still grew hungry. It was probably more in his mind than anything.

The food tasted just like Earth food, maybe a little better. Not as good as what he had in Heaven but that didn't matter. He was just thankful that it wasn't filled with maggots like they had told him it was when he was in Heaven.

After a few minutes of indulging himself, Erik looked up to see Francis laughing at him. Blushing, he composed himself and ate more slowly.

"You know, you really are cute." Francis said suddenly, making the other even more embarrassed. Before he could say anything, though, the man apologized. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm a seducter, so its become second nature to me, and though it is true, I do not flirt with other inhabitants of Hell. Unless, of course, they want it."

"No." Erik said and went back to eating. The table stayed silent for the rest of the meal.

After that, they walked to a couple of different stores, selling anything from paper and pencils to machines and furniture. The variety reminded him more of Earth than the pit of torture he had always been told Hell would be.

"Why is it so…nice here?" Erik asked.

"Well, its not nice per say, but its comfortable." Francis answered. "And why wouldn't it be? We built this place for ourselves - not _us_, but Satan and the first Fallen. Before that, there was nothing but flame. We turned our prison into a home."

For the next while, Francis explained about the different structures like a tour guide as Erik zoned out. He realized that if he was going to ask anything to try to understand this place better, now would be the time. He tried to order his many questions by importance, then asked "How do jobs work down here?"

"What?"

"Like in Heaven, different angels have different jobs to help the humans and you're alerted when-"

"Oh right!" Francis exclaimed. "Its been so long since I've been up there, I forgot how it worked. In Hell it's much freer. You can do whatever you want. Most of us tend to choose something to specialize in though."

"Really? Anything?"

"As long as you're not trying to work against us, _oui_."

Erik's mind flooded with possibilities. It'd been so long since he hadn't had a specific job. The freedom was exhilarating.

He shook the thoughts out of his head. His one and only mission right now was to get in contact with Lucas. He couldn't get distracted.

For the first time all day, Erik started to really look around. When he did, he saw that not only was Hell comfortable, it was beautiful in its own way. Each store looked different. Although the overall city looked older, some of the buildings seemed to be less than fifty years old.

As he was looking around, he caught a glimpse of himself in one of the windows and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to examine himself closer.

All of his light was gone. He hadn't even noticed it while he was an angel, but he knew he had been emitting a light, and now it was gone and he looked dark. His new night black wings and clothes only added to that. His eyes had always been emotionless but now they looked completely dead aside from the shock and disbelief he could only see because they were his own.

He pushed his hair behind his ear and just stared at himself. He looked so different. His hands shook as he touched his wings then his face. It was unbelievable.

The worst part was he didn't hate how he looked. It was that he kind of liked it.

* * *

><p>Erik stayed silent from then on. Francis seemed to pick up on the other's bad mood and said less, only telling him a bit about each shop. It wasn't half an hour before the Frenchman asked, "Do you want to go home?"<p>

Erik nodded.

They walked back to the building together, but once they were there, the smaller one ran up the stairs alone. Francis understood. His first week had been hard too. He had probably pushed his friend too much by taking him out on his first day.

Over the next week, Erik almost never left his home. Every day, Francis brought him three meals and stayed to talk with him for awhile. It was a bit more than Erik would have preferred, but it was better than being alone.

Finally one day he had the courage to go outside. He was no longer getting sick and his wings now worked (his room was big enough that he had tested them out a few times.)

As he walked through town, he realized he needed a way to make money. Francis had explained to him that you don't get paid for anything you do on Earth. To get money, you have to work for someone in Hell.

Erik heard a voice calling to someone, and after a minute realized it was him they were calling to. He turned around and a blonde boy with glasses nearly walked into him.

"Oh, sir, I'm sorry." The boy exclaimed. "Anyway, my name is Eduard von Bock and I'm from the school and I have completed my studies and I was wondering if you'd mind being my sponsor. Before you say anything…" It was apparent to Erik that whatever this boy was saying, it wasn't just rambling and instead was a well rehearsed speech. But that didn't mean he understood it.

"If you want money, I don't have any."

"What?" Eduard looked confused and slightly annoyed. "No, I need a sponsor."

"I don't know what that means." Erik growled.

"How do you not know what that means?" The boy yelled. Suddenly the realization of what he had done must have hit him because all anger was replaced by fear. "What I mean is-"

"I'm new here, that's how I don't know."

"Oh, um, then why don't we get some food and I'll explain it to you?"

Five minutes later they were sitting at the buffet and Eduard was talking Erik through everything. "Well, they have a school here for those of us who came straight down here after we died. You don't have to enroll, but a lot of us do. It teaches us how to be a Fallen angel and to graduate, you need a full Fallen to sponsor you. That's where you come in."

"What all do I need to do?"

"Not really anything. Just sign a paper and I can graduate."

"Okay, I'll sign them. I just have a few questions first. Why do you even want to be a Fallen Angel?"

"I can't stay down here forever. I have to get back to Earth and get revenge on the person who killed me before he dies on his own." The look in his eyes was dangerous.

"Well, how did you end up in Hell anyway?"

"It was such a stupid reason. All of us at the school have stupid reasons for being here. Those with good reasons, like murder, are tortured and not accepted at the school.

"On Earth, I worked for a cruel and evil man. It wasn't by choice, I assure you. I couldn't get out. I had two "brothers" that worked for him, too. Whenever we did even the slightest thing wrong, we were disciplined. Beaten to the edge of death and left without a care. Devil knows how we lived as long as we did.

"My brothers and I were far from close, probably because we all knew one day, one of us would die and we didn't want it to hurt so much. This also meant it was easy for me to turn our master on them when he was coming after me. It wasn't that I wanted to see them hurt, I just valued my own life. At first I hated myself for it, but eventually the guilt faded. And my brothers never figured it out, so I didn't really face any consequences.

"That is, until our final day. My brothers and I were sent out on a suicide mission. We didn't know it at the time though. We were killed when a bomb went off. They went to Heaven, I was sent to Hell, just because I wanted to protect myself."

Erik had to agree this guy had a point. Protecting yourself at all costs was an instinct, and being able to do it required a degree of intelligence. Why should he be blamed for that? And he did deserve revenge against who ever this master of his was…

"Okay, get me the papers and I'll sponsor you." Erik decided.

"Thank you so much!" Eduard exclaimed and ran out. The other realized they didn't have anyway to get in contact. Hopefully he would find him back.

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, Erik heard a knock at his door. When he opened it, he saw Eduard standing there with papers in his hand.<p>

"Thanks again for doing this. I've been looking for someone for weeks. Most people around here don't really respect us, so it's hard to find someone." Eduard said as Erik lead him inside.

"Yeah, can we just get to it?" Erik had been looking for a way to contact the harpies. So far he had found nothing and he really wanted to get back to work.

"Of course." Eduard looked around and saw that the Fallen had no furniture, so he sat down on the floor, and the other followed. "Well, here's a pen, just sign on the line that says sponsor."

Erik did as he was told and as he was handing the papers back, he heard Francis's voice calling to him. Did everyone insist on interrupting his research?

"Oh, Erik!" As soon as the Frenchman entered the room, he froze and his face fell. "What's he doing here?"

"What?"

"Is he from the school? Please tell me you haven't signed his papers yet."

"I just did." Erik answered and stood up. Eduard did the same.

Francis just stood there for a minute. Then he stormed over to Eduard and looked him right in the eye. He was a bit taller and angry, making him look very intimidating, but the boy stood his ground.

"What lies have you told him?" Francis spat.

"None. Well, one. I told him I was done with my studies. I have two months left. But that's it."

"Then how did you get him to sign?"

"I may have left some information out."

"Well, that would be lying."

"No, it's just not telling the whole truth."

"Whatever. Tell him everything you didn't tell him now." Francis instructed then stepped to the side.

"Okay. As my sponsor, you're in charge of helping me with my homework, which you won't have to because I get A's all on my own. You're supposed to help me on Earth, which I really don't get because I was human so I know how Earth works, and other simple stuff like teaching me how to fly."

"And?" Francis coaxed.

"And what? That's it."

"What about the bonding?"

"Oh, right, that." Eduard sighed. "We're now bonded. It just means we're going to be a bit closer. We'll be able to find each other all the time and stuff like that. It shouldn't really matter too much."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Erik asked.

"I told you, I do what's best for me. It's so much easier to find a sponsor when they don't know everything about it."

* * *

><p>A few days later and Erik had an idea of how to contact a Harpy. It was a desperate idea, but the book hadn't been helpful and he was worried about sharing his idea with others, even Francis and Eduard.<p>

He was outside of town (but still close enough that he could fly) with a couple of dead rats. He put them on the ground and called as loudly as he could, "If there are any harpies out there, I have a job for you! And some food!"

To his great surprise, two Harpies landed in front of him. He had no idea where they came from, but was getting used to strange things like that happening.

"What do you want?" One of them asked.

"You're lucky we were flying by." The other stated.

"Yeah, how did you expect us to hear you?" The first said.

"Why didn't you just come to our island?"

"We always have someone there."

"I didn't know where it was." Erik answered.

"Its off the coast of Greece, duh."

"Trust us, you can't miss it."

"Now, what do you want?"

"I need you to keep a lookout on Earth for someone." The Fallen angel explained.

"Can't you just go talk to them yourself?"

"The problem is he's an angel, so I have no idea where he's going to end up. So I was thinking-"

"You'd have our entire species keep a look out and whoever find him first gets a reward?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Okay, what does he look like?"

"He has silvery white hair, violet eyes, and he's about seventeen. Oh, and he's a miracle worker." Erik was elated to hear that they would help.

"Okay, we'll get the word out. And don't try to pay us with dead rats."

"Yeah, we like our food with a struggle."

After that they flew off.

* * *

><p>When he came back to town, he saw Eduard waiting for him. Ashe approached, the student said, "So, I was feeling bad for tricking you and I decided to make it up to you I'd get you a job."<p>

"Really?"

"Yeah. You'll be getting supplies from Earth for the same person I work for. I'll show you where it is."

Eduard led him to a small bakery.

"Why do we need a bakery if we have the buffet?" Erik questioned.

"The buffet doesn't have everything all the time."

Erik stayed silent.

He was brought inside and introduced to the owner. He told him that the job wouldn't be too hard - just getting flour and other supplies once a week - and he would be paid fairly well (or at least what Erik expected was well.)

The Fallen angel quickly agreed to the job. Once everything was in place, he went back home feeling very accomplished.

* * *

><p>That night he lie awake thinking.<p>

If he was going to see his brother, he would have to prove that he wasn't evil. Just saying so wouldn't be enough.

He may not be called to people in danger, but there was enough problems in the world he was sure he could find someone to help.

* * *

><p>The next day he flew to Earth to look for someone to help. It took less than an hour before he found what he was looking for.<p>

There was a suspicious looking man in a dark sweatshirt with his hood up sitting in his car outside a bank. He took a few deep breaths before getting out of his car. When he did, Erik saw a gun in his hand and any doubt that something bad was going to happen left his mind.

Before he could reach the bank, the Fallen angel grabbed the man and pulled him somewhere he could drop his cloaking magic without anyone else seeing him. When he found an ally, he shoved the man against a wall and yelled, "What are you doing?"

"What the Hell are you?" He yelled back, face white as a sheet.

"I'm an angel."

"No you're not! Angels don't have black wings!"

"Well I do." Erik growled. This was not how this was supposed to go.

"If you're an angel, you're an angel of death!" The man assumed wrong. "Look, I don't care if I die, just wait a bit, okay? I need money for my family!"

"I'm not a freaking angel of death. I'm here to help you."

"Like Hell you are! You couldn't do anything good!"

"Shut up!" He refused to think about that comment, knowing it would hurt.

"No! Get away from me! Get away from me you monster!" He pulled his gun up and aimed it at Erik.

"Put that down now."

Instead of doing as he was told, he pulled the trigger. Erik used his magically given speed that he hadn't used in years to launch himself upward and away from danger.

He landed on the roof of the nearest building and took a minute to calm down. Then he balled his hands into fists and kicked a pole that was probably transmitting some sort of signal.

"Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" He started quietly but ended up yelling.

Instead of giving up, he decided to try again somewhere else.

* * *

><p>"Get out of here!" A woman screamed, throwing a glass at him. "You bastard! You damn batard creature!"<p>

Erik flew away in defeat. This wasn't the second person he had tried to help, nor the third. She was the eighth person that day. He tried all sorts of people from all over the worlds, but no luck. They all ended the same no matter what he did. He had even tried hiding his wings, but it was like people could sense he was a Fallen angel.

Instead of trying again, he chose to go home.

But of course he couldn't just go home. No, Francis had to be standing outside his door waiting for him.

"So, where have you been all day?" The Frenchman asked.

"On Earth." Erik answered as he opened his door and stepped inside.

"Oh? And what were you doing there?"

"Nothing." He said and slammed the door in his friends face.

* * *

><p>Everyday for a week, Erik went to Earth and tried to help people. And everyday for a week, he was sent away countless times. Not to mention insulted and shot at.<p>

It was the insults that really hurt. He had ignored them at first, but it was getting harder and harder. It was really taking a toll on him.

One day, before Erik had left, he heard a knock on his door. He debated whether or not to open it, figuring it was Francis. In the end, he decided to.

Before he could even greet the other Fallen angel or ask him what he wanted, he was grabbed by the wrist and dragged down hallway.

"Francis, where are we going?" Erik demanded.

"To somewhere you can relieve some stress."

Francis took him to a rather large building slightly outside of town. Erik had seen it out of his window since he got here, but had never asked what it was.

"This is where we torture the humans who did something horrible during their life. It's not eternal, just fitting to their crime. That's what makes it such a good place to blow off some steam." Francis explained.

"You torture people to relax?" Erik asked in disbelief.

"Oh, don't say it like that. Everybody has a sadistic side. And they deserve it. Just try it." Francis said and dragged him inside.

The place looked like some sick research facility. The souls being tortured were behind planes of glass as if they were in a zoo. Some were strapped to tables or chairs, but others were freer. The Fallen angels and other inhabitants of Hell were outside in control panel seeming rooms. They were laughing maniacally as they inflicted pain on their victims with all sorts of devices ranging from blades to electricity to fire. The screams could be heard perfectly through the glass and they were begging for mercy.

One in particular caught his eye. A teenaged boy with dark hair was strapped to bench. His eyes were filled with tears and his voice was strained.

"Please," He cried, "Please don't do it again! I'm sorry! I'm sorry just please stop! Plea-" he was cut off by a jolt of electricity resembling a lightning bolt. While he was still twitching from the energy flowing through his body, they brought down a knife to cut his chest, leaving the mark ragged and uneven.

As blood started to flow out, Erik felt his stomach clench. He put his hand over his mouth and ran out of the building. Outside he stood with his hands on his knees trying to keep his food down. He couldn't stop seeing the image or hearing the screams.

"It's okay." Francis appeared next to him. "It's not really my thing either. I can only watch it because, well, after a while you get used to things. The only reason I brought you here is because you do need to find a way to relieve some stress."

"Well, that's not it." Erik assured him.

* * *

><p>After that Erik couldn't sleep for days. All he could see when he closed his eyes was that boy and all he could hear was screaming. It didn't help that whenever he looked out his window he saw that place.<p>

When he was finally able to fall asleep, any little sound would wake him up. That fact actually turned out to be rather helpful when he heard two pairs of wings sneak in through his window and shot awake.

He looked up too see two Harpies, one on each of his end bedposts. He had no idea if they were the ones he had talked to or not, but it didn't really matter.

Especially when one said, "We found him."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, you pretty much know what happens after that. Now that Erik's POV is all caught up, the next chapter will be about Lukas again. I'll be switching between the two and maybe more as the story goes on, but I'm going to stay with Lukas for a while because theres almost more Erik than Lukas. Sigh. Why do stories have a mind of their own?<strong>

**Well, I'm going to have a piece of lefse then go to bed. Goodnight/have a great day/ good afternoon/ good evening/ ect.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Quick chapter to get me back in the habit of writing this. I had a couple of really busy weeks there and now I'm finaly (pretty much) free. With any luck I might be able to get another chapter out before the end of winter break (don't count on it though.) I had more to say, but I forgot, it's getting late, and I have a test and a project tomorrow which I'm not compleatly prepared for. Wish me luck and enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>Lukas was relieved when he landed in Heaven. Somehow, for the third time in a week, Erik had found him on his job. He had no idea how the Fallen Angel kept finding him, especially when he rarely even knew where he was going, but it was affecting his job. He couldn't focus anymore. Even when Erik didn't show up, he was paranoid and constantly on lookout. If this kept up, someone would almost defiantly die in his hands.<p>

He had tried everything to stop it. Ignoring him, fighting him, even explaining to him that they had nothing to do with each other anymore. He just _wouldn't listen._

Yelling above him knocked him out of his thoughts. Lukas looked up to see Arthur wrestling with a human soul (unsurprising, since his job was to claim judged spirits and he wasn't good at being gentle and considerate, at least in Lukas's opinion.)

He was just going to ignore them, but the Arthur yelled "Hey, Lukas, a bit of help, please?"

"What do you want me to do?" The silver haired angel asked unenthusiastically.

"Just calm him down!" The blonde screamed.

Lukas flew between the two and grabbed the human by the shoulders, making sure to hold him up. He was surprised to see it was a boy in his early teens. He held in a laugh that this kid had caused Arthur so much trouble.

"Calm down." He said to the boy. "It's okay. You're going to live in paradise. Nothing could be better."

"I keep telling you people, I'm not dead! I can't die yet!"

"What's down there that you need to do?"

"I have to make my discovery."

"What?"

"I _have _to discover something, invent something, do something worth writing in history books. I have to be remembered." The look in his eyes was so determined and serious it made Lukas feel bad that he was taken so soon.

"You know, there are other ways to be remembered than history books. Everyday you touch people's lives, and those are the best things to be remembered for. And death doesn't mean it's over. You'll continue to touch people's lives and make a difference in Heaven."

"It's not the same, but thanks anyway." The kid sighed. "I still can't believe I'm dead."

"Yeah, it's always a shock. Now promise me you'll stay calm and I'll give you back to Arthur. I know he's kind of mean, but you only have to be with him for a bit longer." The last statement earned him a glare from the other angel.

"Okay, I guess." He may not be happy, but at least the boy had accepted his fate. He wouldn't be unhappy for long- he was in Heaven.

He handed the boy back to Arthur and whispered "Are you sure he's going to Paradise? He seems more like the type to stay here."

"Of course he is. Unlike some people, I know how to do my job."

Lukas was going to retort, but his lord's voice in his head stopped him. "Lukas, I would like to speak with you."

The boy turned back to the other angel and said, "I'd love to stay and argue, but I've been summoned."

As he started to fly away, Arthur commented, "You're probably going to be demoted."

Lukas tried to ignore him, but it was difficult, especially with similar worries already in his head. What if God was mad or disappointed that he was so unfocused? Or worse- what if he thought that Lukas was actually trying to talk to Erik? He could be kicked out of Heaven!

He reached God's chamber at the peak of his panic and went inside before he could think about it. He flung himself to the ground and started to plead for mercy. "I'm so sorry, dear lord, please, please don't demote me or Fall me, I'm so, so sor-"

"Lukas, you haven't done anything wrong." God interrupted. "In fact, you've been very loyal and I would like to reward you."

"A reward? Like a promotion?" The angel asked hopefully.

"A bit. You're going to be training a new familiar."

"What?" He'd never heard of anything like this before.

"I'm going to give you an animal- in your case it's a bird- and you're going to take care of it, kind of like a pet. However, you're also going to be training it to guide humans."

"Oh. Okay. Of course. Sounds...great." Lukas flinched at the tentativeness of his own voice.

"I understand you're hesitation. It's an old tradition, but I think it will be good for you. Now it's time for you to meet him." After God finished, a bird flew up to Lukas and landed in front of him. The angel recognized it as a puffin, one of his favorite creatures. This particular one had a bow tie and an annoyed look in its eye.

"_This _is the angel that's going to train an adorable thing like me?" The puffin spoke, making Lukas jump.

"Be grateful." God commanded. "He's a wonderful angel and you two _will_ work together. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." They both said. The lord dismissed them and the boy walked out with the puffin on his shoulder.

"So, what is your name?" Lukas asked.

"I'm the totally cute Mr. Puffin."

"'Mr. Puffin'? How creative."

"Oh, yeah. And what's your name?"

"I'm Lukas."

"Because that's the best name ever."

"Whatever." Lukas didn't really feel like arguing, still happy that he hadn't been punished for anything, and he saw his friends coming up to him.

"Lukas!" Mathias called. Before he got to say whatever he was obviously planning on saying, he asked, "What's that?" And pointed to Mr. Puffin.

"I'm training him to be a familiar. Don't ask. Now, why were you yelling at me?"

"Oh right! Come with us!" Mathias said and grabbed the boy's hand. He started pulling him to some unknown location with Berwald and Tino following.

"Why? Where are we going?" Lukas yelled.

Tino answered, "You're not the only one whose brother has Fallen."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey look, I finally updated! I would give you a big long paragraph explaining why I haven't updated, but I really have no good excuse. One last thing before you read: I'm not going to beg for comments like a lot of other people (simple because I know I don't feel comfortable leaving comments) but if you do feel comfortable, I would really love comments. I know I don't reply as much as I should, but that's only because I never know what to say and stuff. I'll try to get better about that. Just know I really do love every comment I get and they really do help me stay motavated. So, feel free to tell me what you think!**

* * *

><p>Lukas stared awkwardly at the boy across from him. The other stared back, pulling his white bear a bit closer to his chest. Neither one of them had any idea of what to say.<p>

Finally the boy with the bear- Matthew, Mathias had said his name was- spoke up. "I'm sorry about your brother."

"I'm not. He got what he deserved." Lukas replied. After a minute, he added, "What happened to your brother?"

"Uh, why don't we talk about this somewhere else? Like down on Earth."

"Um, sure."

Lukas followed Matthew down to Earth. Instead of just landing at the nearest place, Matthew seemed to be going to a certain location.

They landed in a small town somewhere in North America (Lukas couldn't tell if it was Northern United States or Southern Canada.)

"Why'd you want to come down here?" The silver haired angel asked.

"I feel safer to talk about things farther away from Heaven." And God. Lukas picked up on the unspoken words.

"You know, no matter where we go we're under his protection." And his watch.

"Yes, I know. It's more of a feeling than anything. You understand, right?"

"Of course." Sometimes even angels need to feel alone. "So, what is this place?"

"This is where Al and I grew up." Matthew explained. "After we died, we kept coming back. It was nice to see the people we knew grow up. I thought it was just nice to take a trip down memory lane, but Alfred didn't feel quite the same way. He felt like he was still connected to these people. I never realized how dangerous that could be. We need to be equally attached to all humans. The only one we should be loyal to is our Lord. Al lost sight of that and that's why he Fell.

We were sitting on the curb watching traffic like we used to, talking about nothing. We watched a man start to cross the street. I barely paid attention until I heard a car approaching. We could both tell that it wasn't going to stop. I turned away- there was nothing I could do. I hadn't been given any orders to save the man. But Alfred ignored that fact and flew to save the man. He managed it, which is probably the worst part. Before he could do anything else, I grabbed him and dragged him away. We went back to Heaven as quickly as possible. I begged him to repent, to admit he'd made a mistake, but he wouldn't. He said he did what was right and any world that couldn't see that was a world he didn't want to be a part of. That was the last I saw of him before he was called to speak to the Lord. He quickly said goodbye and that was the last I saw of him. On our side, anyway."

Lukas refused to think too much about any similarities in their stories and instead asked, "He tried to talk to you after he Fell, didn't he?"

"For a while." Matthew admitted. "It was horrible to see him like that. He looked completely different, but I could tell he was the same on the inside. He wanted me to believe he wasn't evil, but I wouldn't listen. He did everything he could, but I fought him at every turn, just like I was supposed to. Eventually he gave up, and I was finally allowed to move on."

* * *

><p>"Erik, you have to at least meet him!" Francis cried in exasperation.<p>

"I'm not moving." The boy declared, planting himself more firmly where he stood in his doorway.

"Fine! I'll just bring him here." The Frenchman left the room, muttering something in his native language under his breath. He came back with a blonde Fallen angel next to him. Erik barely glanced at him before purposely looking in another direction but saw that he had glasses and a large cowlick.

"Hey, dude! My name is Alfred F. Jones, you can call me Alfred or Al. So, what's your name?"

When Erik didn't react, Francis answered for him. "His name is Erik and he's having a bit of brother troubles. I figured you would be the best to help him."

Al looked at the boy with sympathy. "You left your brother in Heaven?"

Erik made no noise but nodded slightly.

"The same thing happened to me. I missed him so much- I still do. I tried to contact him for months, even years. I wanted him to understand and see that we could still be brothers, but he just ignored me. He betrayed me."

* * *

><p>Eventually, Matthew's bear and Mr. Puffin had left them to find food. Honestly, Lukas was glad. He still wasn't sure he liked that bird.<p>

"When did you get your bear?" The silver-haired angel asked.

"Kumamani? A couple of months after Alfred Fell." The statement made the other freeze. "I'm training him to guide humans."

When Lukas recovered from the initial shock and found his voice, he said, "M-me too."

As they fell back into silence, suspicion overtook the younger. They had both gotten an animal to train not long after their brothers Fell. It had to be a coincidence, right? Or maybe the experiance of losing a brother made them better suited to train them? As much as he wanted to believe that, darker ideas filled him. Perhaps they were spies, making sure he and Matthew had no rebellious thoughts?

No. Even if that were true, he would have no problem. He was loyal. Besides, God was all powerful and all seeing anyway. How was this any different?

Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit offended. Didn't God trust him? Hadn't he proven that he was still good by fighting Erik at every turn?

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked. "You feel like you're angry all of a sudden."

"What?"

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't tell you. I can sense emotions." He looked away shyly. "It's for my job. I help people during the darkest times of their lives. Like a temporary Guardian Angel."

"Cool." Lukas said without much feeling. He felt a bit guilty because he hadn't thought about what Matthew's job was, even for a split second. "I'm a Miracle Worker."

"That must be exciting." The boy buried his head in his knees and seemed to be debating whether or not to say something. After Lukas prompted him to go on, he added, "Alfred was a Miracle Worker. He loved it."

The silver haired meant to stay quiet despite the silent question he felt the other asking, but gave in. "Erik collected the souls of the dead after judgment."

"Did he like it?"

"I don't think so. He never liked people. I don't know why he never put in for a transfer or something. He probably just liked how much free time it gave him."

* * *

><p>Alfred was the embodiment of everything Erik hated about people. He was loud, annoying, stupid, and distractible. But Erik had put up with Mathias for years, so he would be able to deal with the American.<p>

What surprised him was just how similar their situations were. They both desperately wanted to get their brothers back, but were being rejected. He hated to admit it, but he felt a kind of connection to Alfred.

That did not, however, mean that he would be nice to him.

Somehow, Alfred and Francis had wormed their way inside his home and sitting on his floor while he sat in a chair (currently the only piece of furniture in his living room and only thing he figured he'd really need).

"Why are you doing this Francis?" Erik asked bluntly.

"Doing what?" The Frenchman played innocent even though the other was sure he understood.

"Why did you bring him here?"

"Because I have important advice for you." Alfred answered for him. "Something I wish someone had told me when I came down here. Well, lots of people told me, but someone who I knew had gone through it themselves."

"And what's that?"

"Don't go after your brother. He won't talk to you. It's only going to end in heartbreak." He said sadly. "The sooner you give up the less it'll hurt."

Erik was silent as he tried to process this. Then he looked at them with defiance in his eyes. "No. You may be weak, but I'm not. I will never give up. And one day Lukas will see the truth. I can guarantee you that."

* * *

><p>"We should probably go back soon." Matthew said.<p>

"Yeah." Lukas agreed, but first he wanted to ask the questions that had bothering him all day. "I just have one more thing to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Do you hate Alfred?" Not that he said it out loud it sounded a bit childish, but luckily Matthew didn't seem to take it that way. He looked away and thought for a minute, probably trying to find the right words, before answering.

"No. I should, but I can't. I can't bring myself to hate him while I still remember all the good times we had together. I'm mad at him but, in truth, I miss him more than anything."

Lukas nodded and they went to find their animals then back to Heaven. The entire time he was thinking he couldn't get too close the Matthew. He was sure the boy with the bear would Fall one day if he missed someone who had turned on God.


	10. Chapter 10

**This started out as a cute simple filler chapter. It became dark and kind of exciting. **

* * *

><p>Despite promising himself not too, Lukas couldn't help but get close to Matthew. His other friends were becoming very busy and he needed someone to talk to. Not to mention, they really did have a lot in common.<p>

They never talked about their brothers again. Instead they usually talked about their familiars or their lives on Earth. It was nice to forget about things for a while and feel like everybody else.

Eventually, Matthew got busy, too. Instead of one person to help, like he normally had, he was juggling two, leaving Lukas even more lonely and bored.

One morning while lying in bed because he had no reason to get up, he decided to try to learn more about his Puffin. "Mr. Puffin, were you ever alive?"

"Yep." He said proudly. "And you know, not many animals get to become familiars."

"Well, why did you get it?"

"Because I'm totally cute and amazing."

The angel rolled his eyes. "Sure, that's it. Any clue why it actually is?"

"Hey, it's God's choice, not mine! I'm not gonna try to figure it out. I'm just glad I was chosen."

"Okay, that I can understand."

After a moment of silence, Puffin spoke up again. "So, you were alive too, right? What was your life like?"

"Pretty average, I guess. Kinda depressing towards the end, but who's isn't?"

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, not really."

"Good, because I don't want to hear about it."

"Fine."

They were silent again. Not knowing what else to do, Lukas got up and began to get ready for the day. He grabbed some licorice from his kitchen and wandered outside with his familiar in tow. He checked around and wasn't surprised when he found all of his friends gone.

The silver haired angel rubbed his eyes and thought for a moment. Then he announced to his bird "I'm going down to Earth for a while." and began to walk off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mr. Puffin called and flew after him. "That's_ not _a good idea. What if you know who finds you?"

"Then I'll deal with it." Lukas figured. "I can't stay up here just because of what might happen."

"Yes, you can! And you should! It's way too easy to be corrupted by evil, especially if you know the evil well."

The angel turned around so fast that the other almost flew into him. "I'm not going to be corrupted. I don't care how well I knew him, _I _am loyal. _I _am good. I can take care of myself. If you want to stay here, fine. I'm still going no matter what."

"Well, I'm not lettin' ya go alone."

Lukas nodded as they reached a decision. Together, they flew down to Earth. Lukas didn't know where to go, so he flew until his wings began to feel tired and Mr. Puffin was complaining. Finally settling on top of a tall building in a large city, he smiled. It was nice looking over everyone, watching the cars drive past and the people walking. He sat down and let himself study the world below.

As he watched, a man walked quickly out of an apartment building. He seemed nervous and had a large jacket wrapped around himself. Becoming curious, the angel glided down and went into the building the man had come from. He had a bad feeling but continued on, using his powers to find the apartment the man had come from.

Right outside the door, he felt Mr. Puffin pecking on his head and realized he had been trying to talk to him. "This is a frickin' bad idea! Get the fuck out now! This isn't gonna end well!"

The story of what happened to Matthew's brother came back to him. If he was being honest with himself, Lukas knew what was behind the door. If he saw it for himself, he probably wouldn't be able to stop himself from trying to save whoever was hurt. It took every once of his strength, but the angel was able to force himself to turn around and walk away.

As he walked away, he heard a scream. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to be thankful. The sound meant someone had found the person and would likely call for help. At the end of the hall he waited. Mr. Puffin, seeming to understand, flew around him for a while and then rested on his head, staying quiet all the while.

After a few moments, EMTs arrived and ran past the angel. Lukas smiled and figured it was finally safe for him to follow. Inside the apartment, the medical professionals were gently lifting an unconscious man onto a gurdy. His head was wrapped in a temporary tourniquet to stop bleeding from where he had been hit with something. Judging by the room, it was a lamp that was now laying on the floor.

A little ways away, there was a woman in hysterics being counseled by one of the medics. She was yelling and crying, but other than that she seemed okay. Lukas figured that she was the injured man's wife or girlfriend and was glad that she arrived when she did. He prayed that she would get help and one day be able to move past the horrors she had seen.

The last thing the white haired boy noticed was another man in the corner of the room. The first thing Lukas saw was his wings. They were unlike anything he had seen before. His right wing was brilliant white just as any other angel's, but his left wing was as black as the night sky like the Fallen angel's wings. His hair was the same color as his left wing and he looked almost relieved as he watched the scene. The angel wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. Either way, it only made him more curious.

The strange figure looked up and saw Lukas. His eyes widened and he lifted off to fly through the ceiling. Lukas barely heard his familiar's warning not to follow when he did just that, using his powers to pass through each level. It was one power he didn't use often, but at the moment there were no other options.

He followed the raven haired angel all the way until they were outside. There he called, "Hey, wait! I just want to talk to you!"

"I cannot talk now! I really must be going!" The other called back and flew off at lightning speed. Lukas eventually lost sight of him and gave up on the chase.

"What was he?" The angel wondered aloud.

* * *

><p><strong>So, now I have a question. Is this story moving too fast? I can't really tell. Part of me thinks it is, part of me thinks it's not. (I really don't know what knowing it's moving too fast would do for me, I'm really bad at slowing things down, but oh well.) Anyway, I hope you liked this and I hope you have a good day. <strong>


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